The present invention relates to the accumulation of ice occurring on the rotor blades of a wind turbine; and more particularly to a method and system for detecting asymmetric icing.
Wind turbines are commonly installed in areas where the climatic conditions allow for ice accumulation (hereinafter “icing”). Icing on the rotor blades (hereinafter “blades”) of a wind turbine may cause a reduction in power output and higher stresses on some wind turbine components. Icing may be divided into two forms, symmetric (icing on all blades) and asymmetric, (icing on some blades). Asymmetric icing increases the vibration on the wind turbine tower and increases the rotorspeed acceleration. Asymmetric icing may also cause a rotor-mass imbalance, which leads to higher fatigue loads; requiring more robust and expensive wind turbine components.
Current systems of detecting asymmetric icing typically require additional hardware including: sensors, anemometers, and piezoelectric transducers. Moreover, wind turbine operators generally need to purchase and install this additional hardware.
There are a few concerns with the current systems and methods for addressing asymmetric icing. The requirement of additional hardware increases the installation and operational costs of the wind turbine. These additional costs may prohibit wind turbine operation in some environments.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for a method and system for detecting asymmetric icing utilizing existing wind turbine hardware. The method should not require additional hardware.